


Where Angels Fear to Tread

by Adsdragonlover



Series: Fool Me Once [2]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Uses His Words, Happy Ending, Jaskier accepts his apology, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26847562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adsdragonlover/pseuds/Adsdragonlover
Summary: Jaskier decides to accept Geralt’s apology and comes up with an incredibly foolish idea to get his attention.The happy ending I promised!
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Fool Me Once [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958416
Comments: 13
Kudos: 137





	Where Angels Fear to Tread

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! Here y’all go.
> 
> This is part two of a series. You don’t need to read the first part but it’ll make more sense if you do.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Title from the quote “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” -Alexander Pope

Since the last time he’d seen Geralt, Jaskier had had a lot of time to think. A lot of time to try and work out what pleased him. 

Geralt had seemed sincere in his apology. And Jaskier kept bouncing back and forth between trusting Geralt and doubting him. 

He was stuck. Part of him wanted,  _ so  _ badly, to trust Geralt. But the other part of him was hurting, and scared of trusting only to hurt again. 

So Jaskier wandered, as Jaskier was known to do, and he pondered. 

He wandered all throughout the continent, and by the time he reached Peixe de Mar on the coast, just south of the Cintran border, he’d made up his mind. 

He’d give Geralt another chance. Not for Geralt, but for himself. And the moment Geralt showed signs of going back to his “we’re not friends and I don't care about you” routine, Jaskier would leave. 

As Fate would have it, there was already a Witcher in Peixe de Mar. Apparently, they were having quite a problem with sirens. 

Jaskier didn’t allow himself to assume anything about the identity of the Witcher in the town, and if he picked the inn he guessed Geralt would be staying in, well, that was no one’s business but his own. 

He entered The Cerulean Spider, and bought himself a room. A part of him wanted to ask whether or not the witcher was indeed staying in this inn, but he didn’t want to seem desperate. Instead, he asked if they needed any entertainment for a while. 

After a bit of conversation with the innkeeper, Jaskier had set up a deal, performing at the inn and giving a share of his profits back to the inn in exchange for a cheaper room price and free entertainment. 

It was about midday, so Jaskier had plenty of time to explore the town. 

It was really quite a lovely place. The seaside air was brisk and soothing, and the sound of the seagulls weren’t too frequent so as to be obnoxious. The houses were small and quaint, and the salty air faded the wood of the houses to an almost pastel color. The roofs were tinted red and the pale walls of the buildings created a lovely juxtaposition. 

He wandered to the center marketplace square and flitted from stall to stall, taking everything in. He bought a jar of jam made from local berries and eyed the jewelry stalls with interest. He certainly wasn’t lacking on coin, but he shouldn’t waste money on- oh fuck, wait. 

Laying on one of the jewelry stalls was a brooch.  The centerpiece was a large piece of golden orange amber and the surrounding gold of the brooch was almond shaped. It- it looked like an eye. It reminded Jaskier very strongly of Geralt. Of Geralt’s beautiful golden cat eyes. 

Without thinking, Jaskier reached out and grabbed it, holding it up to the light and watching it sparkle in the sunlight. 

“Ah,” the stall owner said, “it’s a beauty isn’t it?” Jaskier nodded wordlessly, bringing it back down and feeling the way it fit nicely in his palm. “It’s seven crowns _. _ ”

Jaskier pulled out his coin purse without a thought, and grabbed the appropriate amount to pay. “I’ll take it,” he said, a little embarrassed at how rough his voice sounded. It was just a brooch. There was no need to get emotional. 

And yet…

“A fine choice, laddie,” the merchant said with a grin.

“Did you make this yourself?” Jaskier asked, turning it over repeatedly in his palm and feeling the cool metal warm under his touch. 

“‘Fraid not, my boy. My wife did the metalwork though,” he said with a fond smile.

Jaskier hummed and pulled two crowns from his pouch. “She’s very talented,” he said quietly. Jaskier handed the gold to the merchant. “One for you and one for her. Have a good day, sir.”

“Thank you, laddie,” the merchant said with a smile. “We appreciate your generosity.”

Jaskier waved a hand. “Don’t mention it,” he said with a smile. 

He didn’t really know where to put the brooch, so he just attached it to his lute strap. 

As he strolled through the marketplace he eyed the shoreline with what could only be described as longing. Then an idea came to mind and his expression slowly morphed into a grin. 

It was, undeniably, a  _ stupid  _ fucking idea. It was needlessly complicated, all for the sake of being dramatic. But, well, Jaskier  _ was  _ known for his dramatics. It was risky and foolish, but, he reasoned, what better way to prove his intentions than through danger?

Initially, Jaskier’s plan had been to just wait for Geralt in the inn. But where was the fun in that? Other than a gut feeling, Jaskier had no real proof that Geralt was the witcher in town. 

If it  _ was  _ Geralt however, his plan would make it very hard for Geralt to ignore him and walk away. 

Was it foolish? Oh absolutely. But Jaskier had never been known for making the wisest decisions. Everyone said following a Witcher around on his journey was foolhardy, and while it certainly hadn’t  _ ended  _ well, Jaskier had  _ lived  _ for it. 

With that in mind, he strode determinatedly towards the beach. 

From his position on one of the sandy hills at the border of the beach and the town, Jaskier didn’t see anyone, Witcher or not. 

_ Probably because people were steering clear of the beach because of the whole “siren” issue.  _

Jaskier ignored the thought and headed down, his feet sinking slightly into the warm sand. 

The water was dark and choppy, and as he looked up and down the shoreline, he noticed an outcropping of stone heading into the water, covered by a wooden pier. 

Jaskier headed in that direction, stopping occasionally to pick up seashells that caught his attention and carefully place them in his bag. 

As he neared the pier, he carefully pulled off his bag and placed it on the sand. Wouldn’t want to lose it. He debated on whether or not to take off his shoes and ultimately decided to take them off, as his newer pair of shoes were rather nice, and he didn’t know how water would affect them. He unbuttoned his doublet, a rich jade green in color, and let it hang open on his shoulders. 

He was well aware he made quite the picture to any onlookers. A tall, lanky man dressed in deep green, barefoot with a lute slung over his shoulder. While it may make him more noticeable to sirens, it would also make him more noticeable to whatever Witcher was here, and he felt reasonably confident he wasn’t in any real danger. 

From what he’d learned on his travels with Geralt, he knew sirens feared, or at least hated, fire. With that in mind, he grabbed his tinderbox and a torch to bring with him. 

Confident that he was ready, he strides toward the pier and walked fearlessly toward the edge. Once there, he sat down and let his feet dangle over the water. Then he turned the strap so he was holding his lute and strummed lightly. 

He frowned. It was slightly out of tune. He hummed the proper notes softly as he tuned his instrument, his feet swaying lightly in the breeze, toes just brushing the top of the water. 

Once his lute was in tune he cleared his throat and grinned at the water. “Hello!” he said cheerily. “My name is Jaskier, my stage name is Dandelion, and my proper name is Julian. I’m reasonably confident you’re out there, you sirens, you,” he chuckled softly. “I know you sing to attract prey or whatever, but- I dunno. That sounds rather lonely. I love to sing, as I imagine you all do as well, but I also enjoy listening to others perform as well. So I thought I’d grant you the same courtesy.” He cleared his throat and strummed the opening note to a song he’d recently finished composing. 

Then he began to sing. 

“ _ I lost a friend, like needles in a haystack, like a coin purse in a robbery, like ice in the summer heat.  _

_ I lost a friend, like sleep on a sad night, like money on a bad bet, like time worrying about every bad thing that hasn’t happened yet.  _

_ I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight. I’ll be lying awake counting all the mistakes I’ve made, replaying fights. I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight.  _

_ I lost a friend. I lost a friend. I lost my mind. And nobody believes me, say ‘I know that he don’t need me, cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad.’ And I’ll be fine without him, but all I do is write about him. How the hell did I lose a friend I never had? Never had. _

_ I’m on the mend. Like I’m wearing a neck brace, like I’m sleeping at my own place, like I’m pulling all the stitches out of my own face.  _

_ I’m on the mend. Like I’m icing a new sprain, like I’m walking on a new cane, like it’s been a couple days since I slipped and said something sorta like your name.  _

_ I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight. I’ll be lying awake counting all the mistakes I’ve made, replaying fights. I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight.  _

_ I’m on the mend but I lost a friend, I lost my mind! And nobody believes me, say ‘I know that he don’t need me, cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad.’ And I’ll be fine without him, but all I do is write about him. How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?  _

_ I’d apologize, if I thought it might make a difference, or make you listen. I’d apologize, if it was black and white, but life is different, just try to listen to me now.  _

_ I know I’ll be alright, but I’m not tonight.  _

_ I lost a friend, I lost a friend. I lost my mind! And nobody believes me, say ‘I know that he don’t need me, cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad.’ And I’ll be fine without him, but all I do is write about him. How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?  _

_ I never had.”  _

As Jaskier sang, he noticed he’d begun to gain an audience. Heads poked out of the water, some hiding behind outcroppings of stone further out to sea and some merely treading water much closer. 

Jaskier grinned and began singing  _ Her Sweet K _ iss. 

The sirens had apparently heard this song of his before, because they began to sing along. Jaskier’s hands and voice never faltered in the song, but his mind began to wander, began to fixate on one of the sirens with long white hair and golden eyes. 

She was beautiful, and she sounded lovely. It wouldn’t hurt to swim out to meet her to hear her sing up close, would it? He’d be back before anyone knew it. 

Jaskier stood up and took his lute off, completely entranced. He stepped towards the edge and made to jump when-

“Jaskier!” 

There were large hands on both of his shoulders, pulling him back from the edge of the pier. Jaskier protested, shaking his head and fighting to get out of the grip, to get to the water and the siren, but the grip on him was too strong. 

He yelled, kicking and screaming as he was pulled back off the pier and far away from the shoreline, and he hardly even noticed the stranger grab his lute and things on the way. 

“No! Let me go! I need to see her! I have to hear it!” Jaskier shouted, thrashing in the grip. 

Strong arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly. “Jaskier,” came the rough voice of the stranger. “Jaskier, you’re charmed. It’s not real. She doesn’t look like that, and she’ll drown you if you go to her.”

“I don’t care!” Jaskier shouted, fighting to break free of the grapple. “I don’t care! I need to hear it!”

There was a deep sigh from behind him and he was suddenly scooped up and cradled carefully against the stranger’s chest, bridal style. 

The stranger carried him across the beach toward the direction of the town as Jaskier’s protests weakened. 

The fog clouding his mind began to dissipate and Jaskier started coming to his senses again. “What?” He murmured. “Where-? Fuck! My lute! We have to go back! Let me go!”

There was a sigh from above him. “I have it,” came the gruff voice of… Geralt. 

Jaskier tensed briefly before relaxing. He chuckled softly to himself. 

“I really don’t see what part of this situation is funny to you,” Geralt said roughly. 

Jaskier grinned. “It wooorked. I got your attention.”

Geralt stiffened. “You’re a fool,” he growled. “There are better ways to get my attention than risking your life.”

“Aww, you  _ do  _ care,” Jaskief teased. 

“I-  _ fuck _ , Jaskier, of  _ course _ I care!” Geralt near shouted. “You are the most ignorant, foolhardy dumbass I’ve ever met and I-“

“Hate me?” Jaskier supplied quietly. 

“ _ No, _ ” Geralt growled. “Far from it. I don’t hate you, Jaskier.”

“Then why are you so upset?”

“Why- because you could’ve  _ died! _ ” Geralt hissed. “It’s- it’s  _ fine _ that you don’t want me around anymore. I can accept that- but I-“ Geralt went quiet. 

“You what?” Jaskier whispered. 

“I can’t stand to lose you any more than I already have.  _ Especially  _ not to something I could’ve prevented had I solved the problem sooner.”

Jaskier went quiet, and realized abruptly that Geralt was still carrying him. A part of him wanted to insist that he  _ could  _ walk on his own, but the other part just wanted to enjoy this opportunity. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

“It’s- apology accepted. Don’t do it again.”

Jaskier laughed. “If you say so.”

They grew quiet as they approached the town. Eventually Geralt stopped and put Jaskier down. He handed Jaskier his things and Jaskier put them back on. 

“What were you doing out there?” Geralt asked quietly. 

“Trying to get your attention,” Jaskier responded. 

“Yes, but-  _ why? _ ” Geralt asked. 

“Because we need to talk.”

Geralt visibly stiffened. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me.”

“I changed my mind,” Jaskier said softly. 

“Why?”

“Because I thought it over. And I- did you mean it? Your apology?”

“Every word,” Geralt promised. 

“Right. Well, it’s kind of hard to forgive the person who broke your heart, so you’ll have to excuse me for being hesitant.”

Geralt frowned, visibly confused. “Broke your heart?”

Jaskier ran his hands down his face and let out a deep sigh. “ _ Melitele,  _ you’re dense. Do you  _ really  _ not know what I’m talking about?”

Geralt shook his head. 

Jaskier groaned. “Fuck. I’m gonna have to spell it out for you. You broke my heart, Geralt. You broke my heart because I was in love with you.” He conveniently left out the part about still being in love with Geralt. 

Geralt’s eyes widened. “You-  _ what? _ ”

“You utter moron. I’ve loved you since you looked Filivandrel in the eye and told him to kill you.” 

Geralt cursed under his breath. “Then I’ve been a bigger fool than I thought.”

Jaskier’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t allow himself to assume anything, to hope. “How so?” he asked. 

Geralt hesitated. “Because I love you too.”

Jaskier’s heart felt like it was going to explode. “No. No, you love Yennefer. It’s obvious.”

Geralt paused. “I love her in a different way. My love for Yen is bright and… fiery. But it’s- it’s not real. It’s all built on the Djinn. The feelings aren’t genuine,” he said. Jaskier was honestly shocked. Not only was Geralt confessing to loving him, he was speaking in multi-word sentences and using  _ similes.  _ “My love for you is different, Jaskier. It’s- it’s  _ warm.  _ It’s soft and comfortable, loving you feels like home, like you carved a spot of your own next to my heart, and the space there has been empty since I chased you away. Loving you felt like a warm summer’s day, and losing you makes everything feel like a harsh winter night.”

“Geralt,” Jaskier whispered, nearly speechless. 

“You have no reason to forgive me, Jask. But know that I’m telling the truth in saying that I’m sorry. Chasing you away has been one of my deepest regrets.”

Jaskier stepped forward, closer to Geralt, and reached his hand out, brushing his fingers across Geralt’s tightly clenched fist. Slowly, Geralt’s hand relaxed, and Jaskier reached a little further and took Geralt’s hand in his own. 

“I forgive you,” he whispered softly, stepping closer to Geralt, still holding his hand. 

Geralt let out a shaky exhale and rested his forehead against Jaskier’s. “I’m so sorry, Jaskier.”

“It’s okay,” Jaskier whispered. 

“No. No, it’s not. It’s not okay.” Geralt whispered. 

“I forgive you, Geralt.”

Geralt sighed. “How have I earned your forgiveness?”

“You haven’t yet. But you have plenty of time to do so.”

“I’m so sor-“ Jaskier decided that he was tired of hearing Geralt apologize, so he raised his other hand and cupped Geralt’s cheek. That effectively shut him up. 

“Jask-“

“Can I kiss you?” Jaskier whispered. 

Instead of responding, Geralt leaned down and connected their mouths in a surprisingly soft kiss. 

Jaskier melted into the kiss, leaning forward against Geralt, who looped his free hand around Jaskier’s back and to his waist. 

The kiss was soft but insistant, and Jaskier felt- he felt  _ loved _ . Jaskier pulled back to breathe and grinned at Geralt. 

“I forgive you, love.”

Geralt shivered, presumably at the pet name, and Jaskier’s grin widened. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, Jaskier.”

“I love you,” Jaskier whispered, squeezing Geralt’s hand. 

Geralt shivered and leaned down to kiss him again. 

When they pulled apart, Geralt gave Jaskier a rare smile. “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y’all liked it and it soothes your hearts from my attack lol.
> 
> Please leave kudos, and comments make me so happy I stg.


End file.
